When Evil Arises
by ThatDarnNeighbour
Summary: Zed Green has just turned 13. He is beginning his Pokémon adventure with his friend Daniel, a girl called Penny and his rival, Gary. Join Zed as he realizes what is right and what is wrong, and what he has to do to protect the people he loves.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer-I don't own Pokémon. If I did, you would all bow down to me as your Pokémon overlord**

In a world different to ours. Where cats and dogs and other household pets don't exist. Where, instead of animals, strange creatures roam the lands. What are these creatures, I hear you ask? Well, that question has a simple answer: Pokémon.

This story is set in the Kanto region, but not in the Kanto region as we know it. Pokémon from Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh have emigrated to live in Kanto. The legendary Pokémon have gone into hiding, for fear of being tortured and used for evil. The evil teams (Rocket, Aqua, Magma, and Galactic) have joined forces to form 1 evil team, which is based in the heart of the Kanto region. This FanFic is based very loosely on the FireRed and LeafGreen Pokémon games. Now that the intro is done, on with the story!

BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEE-

Zed turned off his alarm clock. The day had finally come; he was thirteen, and therefore eligible to become a Pokémon trainer. Not so long ago, the rule had been that when you turned 10 years old, you would receive a Pokémon, but ever since that girl had been mauled by that rabid Igglybuff, the rules had changed. Half the kids didn't even become Pokémon trainers nowadays. They became doctors, or breeders. With so many wild Pokémon in one environment, it was very easy to get yourself hurt.

Zed pulled on his clothes. He was graduating from Pallet Town's small trainer school. Small being used in the literal sense. The school only had four pupils. These pupils were Zed, Daniel (Zed's best friend), Penny, and Gary who was Professor Oak's (the world renowned Pokémon professor) grandson. Today, they would all receive one of nine different starter Pokémon, five Poke balls, and a Pokédex.

Zed stepped out of the bungalow where he lived. He breathed in the clear, Pallet Town air. In the sky, Pidgey were flying in flocks, while Rattata were running around the streets.

As Zed began the familiar walk to the Trainer School, he saw Daniel exiting his house with his hair ruffled, his t-shirt the wrong way round, and a piece of toast sticking out of his mouth. "Afternoon, Dan" Zed greeted. Daniel smiled ruefully, and replied "It's not a crime to wake up a bit late".

Once Daniel had sorted himself out, he and Zed continued walking down the worn-out path. It was then that Zed saw the time on his watch. "Crap, we're late. Common, we need to go!" Zed and Daniel raced down the hill, coming to a standstill as they reached the Trainers School a few minutes later. "Nothing like a brisk morning jog to wake you up" puffed Daniel in between deep breaths. "Come on, lets just go inside" Zed replied, also taking deep breaths.

As they entered the School, they immediately contemplated turning around and walking away slowly. The whole town was gathered to witness the four students graduate, and Zed and Daniel were receiving deathly stares from all 500 citizens of Pallet Town. If looks could kill, they would both be mangled corpses by now.

"So" Professor Oak began, after everyone settled down, "now that everyone is here, we may as well start the ceremony. Students, please step up to the podium so that you may be handed your certificates". One by one, the four students received a certificate and a handshake from Professor Oak. Then, each student was given 5 Poke balls, and a Pokédex. Finally, it was time for the students to pick their first Pokémon.

"Penny Almark, please pick your first Pokémon" Professor Oak said. Penny went up to a different podium, where 12 Poke balls were being kept. In these Poke balls were the starters from four different regions: the Kanto starters, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, the Johto starters, Chikorita, Cyndaquil and Totodile, the Hoenn starters, Treeko, Torchic and Mudkip, and the Sinnoh starters, Turtwig, Chimchar and Piplup. After deliberating for a while, Penny picked up a poke ball and let her new Pokémon loose. A Piplup burst out, and was met by a round of applause from the audience.

"Daniel Nosworthy, please pick your first Pokémon" Professor Oak announced. Daniel strolled over to the table, selected a poke ball, and revealed its contents to the crowd. A lime green Treeko popped out.

"Zed Green, please pick your first Pokémon" Professor Oak said. Zed went over to the table, and thought for a moment. It is easy to choose a Pokémon; each of the three types represent the type of person you are. Grass types are for intellectual people, water types are for cool people, and fire types are for stupid people who really like danger and/or death. Zed smiled to himself. He picked a Pokémon, and let it loose to show the audience. A small, satsuma orange lizard came out, with a small fire on its tail, and a yellow patch on its stomach. The Pokémon Zed had chosen was the fire type, Charmander.

It was Gary's turn. After being told to pick a Pokémon, he rushed over to the table, selected the poke ball next to the one that had contained the Charmander, and opened it up. A small, blue turtle popped out. Gary had chosen a Squirtle.

"Now that all of our students have picked their pokémon, I have an announcement to make" Professor Oak said over the tannoy. "In 3 years time, the Indigo Plateau will be held near Viridian City. Should they decide to try and enter, I wish our four students the best of luck in their endeavours."

After the announcement, the town slowly began to file out of the Trainers School. Zed went home with his parents, to start packing his things and get ready to leave. "Now son, you need to be careful out there. It's a dangerous world" Zed's dad warned him. "I'll be fine, Dad. I love you guys, I'll try and call every now and then" Zed responded. "Bye honey, remember, we love you" Zed's mother told her departing son.

Zed called Daniel on his Pokédex (it had a LOT of features) to meet him at the beginning of Route 1. While he was waiting for Daniel (who was late a lot), he saw Penny striding up to him. He sighed. Penny was alright normally, but she was very arrogant, which lead her to act like a douche every now and then. Just when he was thinking about leaving by himself, Daniel began to walk up the pathway leading to Route 1. "Dan, you finally made it. Common, I want to leave as soon as possible" Zed told Daniel. "Oh, can I come?" Penny cut in. "No. No. Why the hell would you want to come anyway? You hate us" Zed replied. "Oh, let her come. We'll probably come across some tough pokémon, we need all the help we can get" Daniel said. "Fine, she can come. But as soon as she starts to annoy me, she goes. Ok?" Zed asked. "Fine. Let's just go, at this rate it will take us 20 years to reach Viridian City" Penny said. "Ok, let's go" Zed agreed.

Just as they were taking their first step, a sarcastic voice came from the tree next to them. "Where you goin', poop for brains?" the voice asked. "Oh, for Mew's sake, what now?!" Zed asked.


	2. Chapter 2- The Rival Battle

**Disclaimer- I don't own Pokémon. If I did, I would make everyone in the world dress up as Tentacruels. **

"Don't swear Zed, its rude" Gary said as he climbed down the tree. "I'll do whatever I want to. Anyway, what do YOU want?" Zed asked. "I want a battle. I want to prove that I'm the best trainer in the world, and I can start that by defeating a retarded weakling like you" Gary replied. "Bring it on, dimwad" Zed responded. "Daniel, you'll referee?" Zed asked. "Yeah, sure" Daniel replied.

"This battle will now begin between Zed Green and Gary Oak will now begin. Each trainer may use one pokémon. A trainer will win when his opponent's pokémon is unable to continue. Let the battle begin!" Daniel announced.

"Go Squirtle!" Gary shouted as he brought out the Water pokémon. "Come on out, Charmander!" Zed responded, as he let the Lizard pokémon loose. "Charmander, let's start off with a Scratch!" Zed commanded to the fire type pokémon. "Squirtle, dodge it, and then use Tackle!" Gary told his pokémon. Squirtle dodged Charmander's Scratch and responded with his own Tackle attack

"Charmander, use Leer, followed by Scratch!" Zed told his starter pokémon. Charmander used Leer, scaring Squirtle into staying still while lowering Squirtle's defence. Charmander then used Scratch, causing Squirtle lots of damage. "Squirtle, finish him off with an extra strong Tackle!" Gary demanded. Squirtle used Tackle on Charmander, causing Charmander to cry out in pain. Suddenly, Squirtle shot bubbles out of his mouth, which made Charmander faint from the pain. "Yeah, Squirtle learned Bubble!" Gary shouted.

"Charmander is unable to battle; the winners of this battle are Squirtle and Gary Oak!" Daniel announced.

"Hey Zed, wanna know why I picked Squirtle?" Gary asked. "Not really, but I get the feeling that you're gonna tell me anyway, so go ahead" Zed said dejectedly. "I picked Squirtle cus I knew it would be able to defeat your starter every time" Gary smirked. "Oh you son of a Miltank, I swear I'm gonna get you!" Zed screamed, as Daniel held him back to stop him from beating Gary up.

"See ya, suckers" Gary called to the group, as he walked down Route 1. "Just ignore him Zed. Common, lets get going" Penny said. "Fine, let's go" Zed agreed. "While we're at it, let's all try and catch a pokémon. The more we have, the stronger we will get" Daniel explained. "Good idea, Dan. Let's find us some pokémon!" Penny exclaimed.

The group trudged along the path, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of a pokémon. There were not only pokémon from Kanto, but from Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh as well.

A little while later, Daniel went sprinting into a patch of long grass. He had spotted a pokémon, and as he walked through the grass, he found himself face to face with a Pidgey. "Go, Treeko!" Daniel screamed as he sent out the Wood Gecko pokémon. "Treeko, use Pound!" Daniel shouted. Treeko used Pound on the Pidgey, causing the Pidgey to keel over from the pain. "Go, poke ball!" Daniel said as he hurled the poke ball at the fallen bird. Pidgey was swallowed up by the ball, and after a tense 10 seconds, the ball stopped shaking, and the Pidgey was caught. "Yeah, I got me a Pidgey!" Daniel exclaimed in happiness.

Penny Almark was rustling around in a bush, looking for a pokémon. She was just about to give up, when she came across a Wurmple. "This will be a great addition to my team, go Piplup!" Piplup was sent out of its poke ball, and without needing a command, began to attack the Wurmple with Pound. "Ok Piplup, that's enough. Go, poke ball!" Penny shouted as she threw the poke ball at the Wurmple. After shaking for ten seconds, the ball stayed still, indicating that the pokémon was caught. "My first caught pokémon, alright!" Penny said as she punched the air.

Zed was walking along the path, muttering to himself. "Stupid Gary, with his stupid Squirtle, and its stupid Bubble attack..." he murmured. Suddenly, a small, woolly sheep came in front of him. "Whoa, what's this?" Zed asked himself. He used the Pokédex to identify the pokémon as a Mareep, an electric pokémon, which was super effective against water and flying types. "With this, I'll be able to beat Gary's Squirtle for sure!" Zed told himself as he sent out his Charmander. "Charmander, use Scratch!" Zed said to his pokémon. However, instead of using Scratch, the Charmander shot small flames from his mouth, which downed the Mareep. "Cool, my Charmander learned Ember!" Zed laughed as he threw a poke ball at the Mareep. After 10 seconds of shaking, the poke ball was still. Zed had caught a pokémon.

"Excellent. Now, let's go find the others." Zed told himself as he went to find Daniel and Penny. The two trainers were a little further on, and were admiring each other's pokémon. "Hey Zed, check out my Pidgey! And Penny caught a Wurmple!" Daniel told Zed. "Cool pokémon, guys. But dude, check out my new pokémon, I caught a Mareep!" Zed told Daniel. "Whoa, a Mareep! I've only seen them in books before!" Daniel said as he pushed his midnight hair out of his eyes. "Pretty cool, am I right?" Daniel asked. "Yeah, it looks great" Penny said.

The group continued down Route 1, keeping their new pokémon out with them to increase their happiness. A few hours later, Viridian City came into view. "Finally, a chance to rest. My feet are killing me!" Zed cried. "Calm down, Princess, we'll be there soon" Penny jokingly told him.

The group made it to the city, and headed for the Pokémon Centre. "Cummon, let's get our pokémon healed" Zed told the others as he handed his two poke balls to Nurse Joy. "Thank you, now let's find a room to sleep in, it's getting late" Zed said to the others.

"So, where are going to go tomorrow?" Zed asked the other two when they were all in their beds. "Well, we can't challenge the gym in this town, it's the last one in the region" Daniel told them. "I suggest we go to Viridian Forest, which will take us to Pewter City. That's where the first gym is". "I agree with Daniel, let's go to Viridian Forest tomorrow" Penny agreed. "Ok, tomorrow, Viridian Forest" Zed also agreed. "Night Daniel, night Penny" Zed called. "Night Zed, night Penny" Daniel called out. "Night Zed, night Daniel, goodnight John Boy" Penny joked. "Just shut up and go to sleep" Zed complained as he drifted off.


	3. Chapter 3- Viridian Forest- Part 1

**Disclaimer- I don't own Pokémon. If I did, then all household pets would dress up as different pokémon. Imagine having a goldfish Magikarp... **

The sun shone through the open curtains. It was early morning, and the group were ready to begin trekking through the thick undergrowth of Viridian Forest. The group pulled on their pristine (but not for long) clothes, collected their poke balls, and set off for the first dungeon in their adventure. They had to get through Viridian Forest to get to pewter City, where the first gym was situated.

"Ok, this is the entrance to Viridian Forest. Just be warned guys, there will be tough pokémon in here, and there might be trainers" Zed warned Daniel and Penny.

"Yeah, I can totally imagine getting killed by a gang of Caterpie. Don't be a scaredy-cat, Zed, we'll be fine" Penny sarcastically replied.

"Hey, this could be serious. Weedle have Poison Sting as one of their moves, so it would be a good idea to stock up on Antidotes and Potions" Daniel advised.

After the group stocked up on items, they made their way to Viridian Forest. They walked in, and they immediately sensed a change. The gigantic trees covered up all of the sunlight, leaving the forest in darkness. It was incredibly eerie, especially as it was incredibly quiet.

"It's very quiet. Almost too quiet..." Zed said suspiciously. He continued walking on, when a voice emerged from the side of the path the group was following.

"Hey, you there!" the voice shouted.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH" Zed screamed, jumping into Daniel's arms.

"Relax, idiot. It's an ordinary guy" Penny scolded.

"Are you sure?" Zed whimpered.

"Yes, I'm normal. Sorry for scaring you like that, I just wanted to warn you that a group of my friends are lurking around this forest, and they may challenge you if you come across them" the stranger explained.

"Thanks for the information, we'll be on our way now" Penny replied, thanking the man.

The group continued on through the forest, encountering many wild pokémon. Ledyba, Weedle, Caterpie, Metapod, Kakuna, Silcoon, Cascoon and even Scyther inhabited the forest.

As they went further into the forest, the trees began to get denser, letting less sunlight filter in to the ground. Zed found it harder and harder to be able to see. This got to such a drastic point that he released his Charmander, as its tail flame would give the group some light. "Charmander, walk in front of us so we can see where we are going" Zed asked the fire type pokémon. Thanks to the light from Charmander's tail, Zed was able to see around him. "Oh crap..." Zed sighed, as he realised that he was all alone.

Daniel was wondering around in the dark, oblivious to the fact that he was separated from the others. He was just getting worried when he could only hear his own footsteps, when he saw a figure in the darkness.

"Zed? Is that you?" Daniel asked.

"No, I am not this 'Zed' that you speak of. I am Marcus, bug extraordinaire1" Marcus explained. "I wish to battle you, for the honour of my glorious bug pokémon" he explained.

"Ok, bring it" Daniel challenged.

"Go, Metapod!" Marcus shouted as he brought out the Cocoon pokémon.

"Let's beat this guy. Come on out Treeko!" Daniel said as he sent out his starter pokémon.

"Treeko, lets start this battle off with a Pound!" Daniel commanded. Treeko ran up to the Metapod, and struck the bug pokémon with its paw (hand? Paw? Alien limb? I have no idea...). Metapod was sent flying into a nearby tree, where it lay there, not yet unconscious.

"Now Metapod, show your true power! Use your deadly Harden attack!" Marcus screamed. Metapod used Harden, raising its Defence.

"Ok... Treeko, finish that Metapod off with another Pound!" Daniel told the Wood Gecko pokémon. Treeko once again hit the Metapod with its paw, and Metapod was down and out.

"Ahh, I see you are a worthy opponent. One must be a powerful trainer to defeat my fearsome Metapod" Marcus said seriously. Daniel rolled his eyes.

"However, now you will perish. Go, Scyther!" Marcus exclaimed. "Now you will see the true power of this bug trainer" he said threateningly.

"Treeko, use Pound!" Daniel called. However, instead of using Pound, Treeko drained some of Scyther's energy to replenish its own. "Awesome, Treeko learned Absorb!" Daniel stated.

"Never mind, we will still win. Scyther, use Fury Cutter!" Marcus shrieked. Scyther darted up to Treeko and slashed Treeko with one of its arms. The attack sent a ripple through Treeko's body, and it collapsed to the ground, unconscious from the super effective move.

"Return Treeko, good job!" Daniel praised as a red beam of light hit the fallen grass type, returning it to its poke ball. "This Scyther looks tough. Good thing my last pokémon has a type advantage against it. Lets get 'em, go Pidgey!" Daniel uttered as he brought out the Tiny Bird pokémon. "Pidgey, use Sand Attack, followed by Tackle!" Pidgey used Sand attack to blind the Scyther, and then used tackle to knock it back. The Scyther fell to its knees in pain. "Pidgey, this is our chance! Use Gust!" Daniel told his pokémon.

"No, Scyther, dodge it!" Marcus screamed, but it was too late. Scyther was hurled into a tree by the Gust attack, and was knocked out. Daniel had won the battle!

"Yes, Pidgey, you did it! Great job!" Daniel congratulated his pokémon as he returned it to its poke ball.

Marcus was appalled that he had lost the battle. His face slowly turned from red, to blue, to purple. Suddenly, the ground began to shake slightly. Daniel looked to his right, and to his horror, saw that a big group of pokémon were headed right for him. The horde of bug pokémon came and swept Daniel off of his feet, leaving his Pokédex and poke balls on the ground as he was dragged away against his will. Marcus followed, an evil smile on his face, as Daniel was carried off into the shadows...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Chapter 4- Viridian Forest- Part 2

**Disclaimer- I don't own Pokémon. Otherwise, why would I be uploading Pokémon Fan Fictions if I owned the thing I was writing about?**

Penny Almark was strolling through Viridian Forest. She had gotten separated from her friends, Daniel and Zed, and was trying to find them. Penny was using the 'Find my Pokédex' feature on the Pokédex, which allowed you to scan for nearby Pokédexes. "Cummon, where are you, you dimwits" Penny muttered to herself as she continued down a dank and gloomy path.

A little while later, she came across a Pokédex lying down next to two poke balls. She picked up the Pokédex and examined it. Upon turning it on, she found out that the Pokédex belonged to Daniel Nosworthy. "What the hell?..." she whispered as she ran the Pokédex over her fingers. It had a bump on the corner, indicating that it had been dropped. "Wait a second, if this is Daniel's Pokédex, then these must be his pokémon!" Penny realised. Without hesitating, she let the pokémon out of their poke balls, and to her horror, Daniel's Treeko and Pidgey came out. They were very confused, as they didn't know where their trainer was, or why Penny was here instead. Penny collected them back into their poke balls, and began to search for Daniel.

Soon, she came across a figure standing on a worn out path. "Excuse me, could you help me please? I came here with two friends of mine, but we appear to have gotten lost. Could you help me find them, or tell me if you've seen them?" Penny asked.

"Yes, I have seen one of your friends. However, I shall not tell you which way he went. To tell you that, you must beat me in a double battle" the stranger challenged.

"Damn it... Fine, I'll battle you" Penny reluctantly agreed. "Piplup, Wurmple, help me out!"

"Venonat, Pinsir, prepare for battle" the stranger said as he let the bug pokémon out. "Venonat, attack with PoisonPowder!" the other trainer commanded. Venonat prepared to release a dangerous powder over Penny's pokémon that would poison them.

"Piplup, Wurmple, dodge it!" Penny screamed. Piplup and Wurmple wriggled away from the poisonous powder being dropped on them.

"Pinsir, use ViceGrip on that puny Piplup!" the bug trainer shouted. Pinsir began to run up to Piplup, baring its arms menacingly. Pinsir encircled Piplup in its arms, and began to squeeze Piplup.

Piplup squirmed in Pinsir's grip, but Pinsir was not going to let go easily. "I need to figure out a way to get Piplup out, and immobilize that Pinsir's arms" Penny pondered. "Wait, I've got it! Piplup, use Pound on the ground to propel yourself up! Wurmple, when that's done, use String Shot on Pinsir's arms!" Penny commanded. Piplup used Pound on the forest floor, the force of which pushed him up and out of Pinsir's arms. As Pinsir flapped its arms about, trying to catch Piplup, Wurmple used String Shot to secure Pinsir's arms to its body.

"No, Pinsir! Try and break out of it" the trainer screamed. However, however much Pinsir tried, he could not break out of the impromptu straight jacket.

"Piplup, attack Pinsir with Pound! And Wurmple, use Tackle on Pinsir!" Penny told her pokémon. Piplup and Wurmple attacked Pinsir together, and Pinsir was unable to move due to the String Shot attack from before. Pinsir was launched into a nearby tree, which cracked in two under the immense weight. Pinsir was knocked out, leaving the mysterious stranger with only his Venonat to battle with.

"Venonat, use Confusion on that Piplup" the bug trainer screamed. Venonat used Confusion to lift Piplup up and throw him away towards the ground. Piplup, already weak from the ViceGrip attack, was unable to get up. Penny recalled it, as she pinned all her hopes on finding Zed and Daniel on Wurmple.

Suddenly, Wurmple began releasing small, purple projectiles at Venonat, hurting the Venonat as it cried out in pain. Wurmple had learnt Poison Sting, and was using it on Venonat.

"Venonat quick, use Supersonic on that tiny insect" Venonat's trainer hollered. Venonat sent yellow sound waves at Wurmple, causing Wurmple to be confused. Every shape suddenly seemed intimidating to Wurmple, and it didn't know who to attack.

"Wurmple, use String Shot on that disgusting creature" Penny shouted. Penny didn't know about the confusion that Wurmple was feeling. Wurmple suddenly saw a scary looking figure directly below it, so it used String Shot on the figure. What Wurmple didn't know was that the figure was itself, and Wurmple had just immobilized itself with its own attack.

"Now, Venonat, finish it. Use Confusion." Venonat propelled Wurmple into the air, and the fall was enough to knock out the Worm pokémon.

"Look, I know that you've beaten me, and I know that the deal was that if I defeated you, you would tell me which way my friends went, but please, I really want to find them. Could you be an absolute gentlemen and tell me which way they went?" Penny pleaded.

"Let's see...How about no?" the stranger smirked.

"Ok, I gave you a chance. Tell me which way my friends went, or I'll kick your ass so hard that you'll cry when you crap" Penny threatened.

"Venonat, use Sleep Powder!" the man commanded. Venonat used Sleep Powder to put Penny into a deep, uncontrollable sleep. Before she fell asleep, she muttered "You son of a bi..."

"Now, Venonat, use Confusion to levitate her" the strange man said. He walked away slowly, with Penny suspended in mid air, floating beside him. Who were these mysterious bug trainers? Where were they taking Daniel and Penny? Will I ask another annoying rhetorical question? Find out in the next episode of : When Evil Arises!


	5. Chapter 5- Viridian Forest- Part 3

**Disclaimer- I don't own Pokémon. Sadly...**

Zed Green was wandering through Viridian Forest. He had no idea where he was going, as it was pitch black, due to the large trees blocking the sun. The only light Zed had was coming from his Charmander, whose tail flame was lighting the way for our hero. Zed was trying to find his friends, Penny and Daniel, who had wandered away, as they couldn't see where they were going.

Zed was calling Daniel's Pokédex using yet another Pokédex feature. Daniel's Pokédex was turned on, but he wasn't picking up. "Cummon, pick up, pick up" Zed muttered. He was starting to get worried. He knew that Daniel and Penny could take care of themselves, but this forest was massive. If they didn't find each other (and the exit) soon, they would begin to run out of supplies.

Zed began to hear a strange sound in the distance. Was it just him, or could he hear a strange ringing sound? He began to walk towards the sound, and to his horror, found a discarded Pokédex on the side of the path. Upon turning it on, he discovered that it was Daniel's Pokédex. What had happened to him, Zed thought in horror.

Suddenly, Daniel's Pokédex began to vibrate, indicating that it had a new message. Zed fumbled the Pokédex, not expecting it to move. This is what the message said:

_We have your friends. If you want to find and rescue them, you must prove your strength. Check the map feature on this Pokédex. It has been programmed so that if you follow it, you will find us. Along the way, you will face 2 challenges. I will be the final challenge. Good luck._

_Regards,_

_The Insectums_

Zed swore. He really didn't need this, but he had to rescue his friends. He opened up the map feature, and to his shock, found that the mysterious message had been right. Programmed onto the map were directions on how to get to the end of Viridian Forest! Zed began to walk in the direction of the line on the map, with Charmander following behind. Zed was slightly worried about the challenges, but not too worried. He was confident that he was at least a decent trainer, and he was ok at hand to hand combat. His many fights with Gary proved that.

20 minutes later, Zed was closer to the end. He was just making a turn, when he came across a person blocking the path. "Um, excuse me? Can you move please?" Zed politely asked.

"I am Challenge 1. We will battle with one pokémon each. If you win, I will allow you to continue. If you lose, you will receive the same fate as your comrades. Let the battle begin" the man shouted, bringing out a Yanma.

"Fine. Charmander, this is yours" Zed sighed.

"Yanma, use Sonicboom, my handsome bug friend" the weird trainer commanded. Yanma flew through the air, as fast as a bullet, a red blur as it shot ultrasonic waves at Charmander. Charmander was pushed back by the force, but didn't fall over.

"Charmander, respond with Ember!" Zed told the Lizard pokémon. Charmander used the fiery Ember attack, damaging the Yanma's wing. Yanma crashed to the ground like a plane falling out of the sky. Yanma was in a lot of pain, but was not knocked out just yet.

"Finish him off Charmander, use Scratch" Zed shouted. Charmander strolled up to Yanma nonchalantly, and then scratched it with its sharp claws. Yanma was down and out.

"Congratulations, you may move on. However, I must warn you. There are trainers more talented than me down this path. I wish you luck" the stranger said.

"Right, thanks. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Zed replied as he pushed his way past the man.

Zed began walking along the path again. Charmander's tail flame was getting low, meaning it was exhausted. Zed sent Charmander back into its poke ball. Zed used the light from the Pokédex to see now. He was halfway to the place where Daniel and Penny were being kept.

A while later, Zed came up to another person blocking the path. The man was a giant, at least 6 foot 5. "Same rules as last time. Lets battle, go Ninjask!" the behemoth (pun not intended. Moth, get it? I surprise myself sometimes) said.

"Mareep, prepare for battle" Zed screamed as he sent out the Wool pokémon.

"Ninjask, Double Team!" the trainer commanded. Ninjask split into 3, with only one of them being the real Ninjask. Each of the copies looked exactly the same as the original, except the fact that the copies flickered slightly.

Zed noticed this and took advantage of it. "Mareep, use ThunderShock on the far left Ninjask!" he said. Mareep aimed a small bolt of concentrated electricity at the far left pokémon. This was the real Ninjask, and Ninjask was put in a lot of pain, as it was part flying type. Ninjask, however, was not knocked out, and slowly flew back up in the air.

"Ninjask, quick, Fury Swipes" Ninjask's trainer told his pokémon. Ninjask approached Mareep, baring its claws maliciously.

"Mareep, meet it head on with Tackle!" Zed commanded. Mareep and Ninjask were just about to collide, when Zed shouted "Now, use ThunderShock while continuing the Tackle!"

Mareep and Ninjask collided, with Mareep releasing its ThunderShock at the moment of contact.

Ninjask was lying on the floor, unconscious. Mareep was exhausted, but proud, as it walked back to its beckoning trainer. "Great job buddy, now, return" zed praised as he retrieved his pokémon.

"Congratulations, you may pass" the gigantic man said.

"Yeah, whatever" Zed replied, walking on.

Zed was coming close to the end of Viridian Forest, but with the final challenge looming ahead, he needed his pokémon in top shape. He sprayed Potions on his Charmander and his Mareep. They were now in top shape, and accompanied him outside of their poke balls.

Zed finally made it to the place where his friends were being held. They were standing in a small clearing, and you could see the exit in the horizon. Daniel and Penny were tied up with the string from a String Shot. Their mouths were bound with the same string. Beside them stood 5 men dressed in the same bug catcher outfit. These men included Marcus, the man who battled Penny, and the two men who battled Zed. The last man was obviously the leader, as he wore a different colour bug catching outfit to the others (kind of like how, in star Trek, the Captain wears gold while the others wear red). This man stepped up, and began to speak.

"Congratulations on getting this far. My name is Insectus, and I am the leader of the Insectums. We reside in this forest, challenging those who disturb us. We took your friends to test your resolve, and I can see that you have a lot of willpower. To get your friends back, and be on your way, you must defeat me in a double battle. If you lose, you will wake up at the start of the forest with no recollection of the previous events. Do you agree with these stipulations?" Insectus asked.

"Bring it, worm boy" Zed taunted.

"Go, Heracross and Shedinja" Insectus cried.

"Charmander, Mareep, help me out" Zed said as he released his pokémon.

"You will find my Shedinja hard to beat, my lowly friend. It has the ability Wonder Guard, meaning it can only be hit by super effective moves" Insectus explained.

"Charmander, use Ember on that Shedinja" Zed told his pokémon. Small bursts of fire were fired at the Shed pokémon, who immediately fainted. "Wow, that was difficult" Zed said sarcastically.

"No matter, I still have Heracross! Heracross, use Horn Attack on that Charmander!" Insectus commanded.

"Mareep, use Thunder Wave on that horny piece of crap" Zed told his pokémon. Heracross was stopped in its tracks, as it was paralyzed. "Now, Charmander use Ember and Mareep use ThunderShock!"

Heracross was attacked by both pokémon, creating a small explosion. When the dust settled, Heracross was found lying on the floor, out cold.

"You are a worthy trainer. You may leave with your friends. Good luck in your future endeavours, powerful one" Insectus complimented.

"Thanks. Cummon guys, lets leave; I don't wanna spend another minute in here..." Zed commented. He, Penny, and Daniel slowly walked away, sprinting when they were far away enough.

"Oh my Mew, we're finally away from those creeps" Penny cried. Daniel and Penny both looked shaken, but for now, the group could rest, knowing that they were extremely close to Pewter City.


	6. Chapter 6- Pewter City!

**Disclaimer- I don't own da Pokémans. If I did, I would be too busy swimming in my Lapras shaped pool, eating my Pokémans cupcakes like a baws.**

Jimmy and Christopher were walking towards Viridian Forest from the Pewter City side. They were both nine years old, and were dreaming of being pokémon trainers. "I'm gonna be the greatest dragon type trainer ever!" Jimmy told Christopher.

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna be the bestest ice type trainer, so I can beat you every time!" Christopher replied.

After an hour of walking, Jimmy and Christopher were at the entrance to Viridian Forest. They were just about to step inside, when suddenly a figure covered in leaves and branches shot out, sprinting and breathing heavily.

"IF I EVER SEE ANOTHER LEAF AGAIN I'LL DIE, I SWEAR TO MEW!" the figure screamed as it ran up the path. Soon, another figure joined the other one in running up the path, this time covered in mud and other assorted brown smelly patches. Finally, a third figure shot after the other two, screaming "DON'T LOOK BACK, DON'T LOOK BACK!" the guy screamed. These people, were, of course, Zed, Daniel and Penny, though Jimmy and Christopher didn't know it. They stared in confusion as the teenagers ran away into the distance.

Halfway to Pewter City, the group stopped running and settled down in the velvety grass. They were completely exhausted, having ran for 40 minutes straight at full pace. They lay down, brushing off the rubbish that had been attached to them.

After a brief rest, the group trekked the rest of the way to Pewter City, making it in the late afternoon.

Pewter City was different to anything the group had ever seen before. It was massive compared to Pallet Town. Whereas Pallet Town had one semi-long street running through the entire town, Pewter City had tens of streets, each with rows of houses or shops. Viridian City was slightly larger than Pallet Town, but not as large as this gigantic place. The group stared around, with their jaws touching the ground in surprise. They wandered around, occasionally going up to a shop window and looking in. They eventually came across the Pokémon Centre, where they procured a room and gave their pokémon to the Nurse to be healed.

"Hey, tomorrow, let's go to the Pokémon Museum! I heard it's supposed to have fossils of incredibly rare pokémon!" Daniel told the other two.

"Whatever, King Nerds-A-Lot" Penny replied. "Lets get any other stupid stuff out of the way, and then hit the gym."

"Yeah, my Charmander has fire to burn" Zed joked.

"Dear Mew, Zed..." Daniel sighed as he facepalmed. The group settled down for sleep, ready for a new day, hopefully not filled with awful puns...

Zed rose bright and early. He walked down to the Pokémon Centre lobby and retrieved his pokémon. He walked around the city a bit, buying new clothes to replace the ones covered in mud. He had received quite a lot of money for his birthday, and spent it on Super Potions. It was important to use these items to make sure that your pokémon are ok, he reminded himself. He wanted to get the new Banana O-phone, but it was pointless buying it, as he had everything he needed on his Pokédex.

He was walking to the museum when he came across Daniel and Penny. They joined him, and together they went into the museum. Inside the museum were many different fossils of different pokémon. Pokémon like Omanyte, Kabutops, Lileep, and Anorith were preserved in different rocks. There was also a model of the S.S Anne, a boat currently docked in Vermillion. The group learned a lot from the museum, especially Daniel, who was keen to learn anything about Pokémon.

After going out for lunch at a small café, they began along a path that would lead to the Pewter City gym, which specialized in the rock type pokémon. Zed was going to have a hard time in this gym, as most rock pokémon were also part ground type, which Charmander and Mareep were both weak against. Penny and Daniel would have a breeze in this gym, as both of their starter pokémon had super effective moves against rock types.

The front of the gym had a sign saying all of the trainer's who had beaten the gym. The latest entry was a messy scribble, scrawled in the corner of the sign. It read 'Gary Oak. And if Zed is reading this, tell him he smells like Muk dung!'. Zed turned a nasty shade of red, shouting profanities about Gary, his mother, and the whole Oak household.

"Calm down, dolt. Just beat the gym, that'll make you feel better" Penny scolded.

"Curse him to Darkrai's dark, black ass" Zed murmured as he stepped inside. Inside the gym was a lobby with trainers registering to enter the gym. The group registered, and soon would have to get past a series of rock related obstacles. Zed prepared for a challenge; it would be boring if it was too easy...


	7. Chapter 7- The Pewter City Gym!

**Disclaimer-I don't own Pokémon. If I did, I would explode with Pokémon related joy.**

Zed entered through the gym lobby. He had to get past a series of challenges to reach the gym leader. Penny and Daniel entered through different doors, and all three found that they were standing in the middle of a maze. The gym challenges had to be hard, as gym badges were a sign of a great trainer.

Zed began running down the wall of the maze. He was running down a long corridor, when a rumbling noise began behind him. He turned around, curious as to what was making the sound. A massive boulder was coming up behind him! Taking a deep breath, Zed began to sprint down the corridor. The gym challenges had been known to be fraught with danger. Many a time had someone gotten a broken leg, or a fractured arm. Zed hoped he wouldn't be one of those sad people who had to go back to the Pokémon Centre empty handed, holding his arm in an awkward position. Those were the type of trainers who would be amazed by getting one badge, but that wasn't Zed. He was going to be the best. The very best. Like no one ever was. To catch them was his real test, but to TRAIN them?; that was his cause. He would show everyone. Show Gary that you didn't have to have a famous granddad to be great at pokémon training. Show the whole Kanto region that the small town of Pallet was not to be looked down upon. People from big cities like Saffron or Celadon laughed at people when they said they came from Pallet Town, thinking that it meant that they were stupid. But Zed would prove them all wrong. In 3 years, the Indigo Plateau would be held. It was a competition to see who the best pokémon trainer in the world was. Pokémon trainers from all four regions gathered to test their strength. The requirements were that you had to have eight badges from the region you came from. A trainer from Kanto hadn't won in 100 years, and Zed vowed to be the trainer to end that poke-drought. It was for these reasons that Zed needed to get past this gym.

Zed outran the boulder, and he came across a hole in the floor. He leapt it without thought, and as the boulder came through, it fell down the hole. Zed was safe! He rounded a corner, and came across a gym trainer. The gym trainer immediately sent out a poke ball, leading to Zed sending out his Charmander. The guy had a Cranidos out, and Zed knew that this would be a tough battle.

"Charmander, Ember then Scratch!" Zed shouted. Charmander spat small flames at the Cranidos, but then something strange happened. Instead of using Scratch, Charmander's claws glowed shiny silver for a second, then slashed down at the Cranidos. Instead of not harming the Cranidos, like Scratch usually did, Cranidos was thrown into a wall, unconscious. "Amazing" commented Zed. "Charmander learnt Metal Claw!"

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Daniel had gotten past the boulder and the first trainer. His Treeko had gotten rid of it very easily. For Daniel, this gym badge meant something differently to what it meant to Zed. For Daniel, it was to prove that a geeky kid who spent his time poring over books could succeed in the rough world of pokémon training. It was also to prove that a kid from a broken home could be just as successful as a kid who came from a fixed home. Daniel had been raised by only his mother, and when he asked where his father was, or even who he was, his mother had quickly changed the subject and muttered "It wasn't my fault. I didn't know..."

Daniel's first love was actually studying pokémon, not battling them. But, he reminded himself, it would be interesting to observe pokémon relations with their trainers.

Daniel came across another gym trainer. The trainer sent out a Geodude wordlessly. Daniel smirked, sending out his trusty Treeko. "Treeko, Absorb" Daniel shyly said. Treeko gained all of its opponent's energy by using Absorb. Since Geodude had a double weakness to Treeko's grass type moves, the Geodude fell to the ground before it could even attack. Daniel moved on, a little closer to the gym leader.

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Penny had beaten two of the gym trainers, beaten the boulder, and evaded a rock slide. She was determined to reach the end and destroy the gym leader for the badge! Like Daniel and Zed, Penny had something to prove. She wanted to prove that women were just as good as men at pokémon training. Women were looked down upon for pokémon training, as the sexist idiots at the Pokémon League thought that girls were too 'fragile' for the rough life of a trainer( **Authors Note: These are not my own views. I thought it would be interesting to Penny's character for everyone to believe she's some kind of scared little girl, when she's a massively arrogant badass. If you're a girl, and you're watching this, don't kill me. Please. I have a family...)**. Penny would show those pigs that just because you were a girl, it didn't mean that you couldn't be tough.

Penny came across the final trainer in the maze. He was covering the exit to the long line of trainers waiting to challenge the gym leader. The trainer sent out a Sandshrew, which wasn't even a rock type, since this was a rock type gym, but Penny didn't care. She would still win.

"Piplup, destroy this mofo" Penny shrieked. Piplup came out of the ball, looking feisty and ready to battle. "Piplup, use Bubble!" Piplup ran up to the Sandshrew and blew Bubbles in its face. Sandshrew fell back, hurt but conscious.

"Sandshrew, Sand-Attack!" the trainer shouted.

"Piplup, dodge and then use Bubble once more!" Piplup dodged the Sand-Attack by flipping over it, then released small, transparent Bubbles at Sandshrew. Sandshrew collapsed, defeated.

"Congratulations, trainer. Go on and face the gym leader" the trainer congratulated. Penny made her way into the queue to face the gym leader, seeing that Daniel was ahead in the queue, with Zed even farther ahead. They were ready for their first gym battle.

**So, Zed, Daniel, and Penny are all ready to face the Pewter City gym. Will they win? How will Zed overcome his challenge of using a fire type in a rock type gym? Find out in the next chapter! Review if you're enjoying the story! Next chapter should be up soon!**


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